


Your Heart's Against My Chest

by samajama



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 14:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/623033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samajama/pseuds/samajama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam and Zayn throw Louis a birthday/Christmas party before they leave Uni for winter break.  Zayn invites his friend Niall and his roommate Harry along, and Lou and Harry hit it off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me." No Louis and Harry interaction in this first part. Sorry!  
> Based on this: "Imagine person A meeting person B at a christmas party for the first time, and after getting to know each other and saying goodbye they’re under the mistletoe."
> 
> The rating is just for language.
> 
> This is a work of fiction and I do not own nor am I associated with One Direction or their affiliates.

"Lou!" Liam calls from the kitchen. Louis groans and buries his face in his pillow. "LOUIS!"

"Shut it, would you? I'm trying to sleep!" he garbles.

He hears footsteps coming down the short hallway and Liam shoves his door open. He has to push a pile of dirty laundry out of his way to make his way into the room. "You're disgusting, you know."

"'m not. It's healthy clutter," Louis mumbles. "Time is it?"

"Almost 10."

"Early!" Liam huffs and pulls Louis's duvet off. "You fucker! It's cold in here." He grabs for the blanket in the younger boy's hands, but Liam pulls it away before he can reach it.

"Yeah, well, you also have a final this afternoon, or did you forget?"

"I didn't _forget_. Come on, Li, it's my birth-week! Can't I just roll out of bed right before the exam?" He looks up from his pillow, pouting at his best mate.

"Nope."

"Liam! But my birth-"

"Louis, you're going to be twenty-one. Your birthday is in six days. Suck it up, eat the lovely breakfast I've made you, study for your exam, get it over with, and _then_ we can start celebrating."

Louis perks up at the last bit. "Really? Can we go out tonight then?"

Liam rolls his eyes. "Sure. I'll call Zayn and see if he wants to join."

"Sweet."

Liam starts walking back to the kitchen, dropping Louis's duvet by the door. "Lou?"

"Yeah?"

"You still need to get out of bed." Louis sighs and flops out of bed, following his roommate. As he reaches the kitchen, he sees buttered toast with jam on a plate waiting for him.

"This is the gourmet meal I was promised? Rubbish."

"I promised you breakfast. Shut it and eat." Louis pads over to their small table and sits down in his wobbly chair. He eats his toast in silence and Liam brings him a tea. "So," Liam starts as he sits down opposite him. "What are we going to do for your birthday?"

Louis shrugs. "Dunno. Not much we can do, yeah? We're all going home for Christmas."

"Lou, we've got to do _something_." He pauses a moment and then snaps his fingers. "Got it! We'll have our own Christmas party, yeah? We can do it this Friday before everyone leaves. We can celebrate your birthday a few days early. It'll be great! Whatd'ya think?"

"Uh... Alright?" Louis loves Christmas and he loves his birthday, but he's never been a big one for planning celebrations. He'll attend them and have fun, sure, but the whole process of throwing a party and inviting people, it's just not for him. However, he knows if he says no, Liam will pout at him for the rest of the week and they'll end up having some semblance of a party _anyway_ , so he figures it's just best to agree early on.

"Perfect! I'll take care of everything, okay? All you have to do is show up." He plants a wet kiss on Louis's cheek. "Now go study for your final."

Louis chuckles, "Stop mothering me, would you?" He wipes off his cheek and calls after his friend, "And make sure there are some fit blokes at this party, yeah? I won't just show up for anyone!"

"I'll be there, Lou, so no worries," he hears Liam shout back. "Now, study!"

* * * * *

The doorbell to their flat rings and Louis presses the buzzer to let Zayn upstairs. A moment later he's banging at their door, and Lou lets him in. Eyeing his duffle bag, he asks, "Spending the night here, I guess?"

"If you don't mind? It's bollocks getting back to campus that late. Plus, I pretty much plan on being smashed so..."

"Nah, mate, it's cool." Louis and Liam had opted to rent a flat off campus after their freshman year. They loved uni and all that came with it, but there was something about the luxury of having your own shower that the boys couldn't resist. So, they live close enough to get to class in time after just rolling out of bed (Louis) and to visit girls that they were most definitely _not_ courting (Liam).

"Thanks," Zayn smiles. "Where's Liam?"

Louis nods toward the back of their flat where the bedrooms are. "Still getting changed, I imagine. Not sure who's trying to impress, really. I mean, he's going out with _us_ , so his chances of getting laid are, like, zero." He elbows Zayn in the ribs. "Maybe he's trying to get into your knickers."

"As if I could pull off knickers. And ouch, man. If anyone was trying to get into my pants, I thought it'd be you. I'm truly offended."

Louis snorts as Liam ambles down the hallway to the living room. "Oh, hey, you're here. So are we all ready to go then?"

"Li, we've just been waiting on you to paint your fingernails."

* * * * *

"To no more finals!" Louis cheers.

"To Louis!" Zayn chimes in.

"To getting smashed with the two best mates in the world."

"Aww, _Liam_ ," coos Louis. "To us!" he says as they knock back their first shots of the evening. 

Zayn orders Coronas for all of them and insists on paying the first round or two since he's crashing at their place tonight. The boys take a table fairly close to the bar and start sipping their beers.

Zayn scans the crowd and nudges Louis's shoulder. "Hm?"

"Blondie over there is making eyes at you," he whispers. Louis looks in the direction that Zayn is subtly pointing and sees the guy he's talking about. "Fit, yeah?"

"A bit," Louis admits. "I dunno, he doesn't really seem my type."

"Christ, Lou, you don't even know the guy. How d'you know he's not your type?" Zayn whacks him in the back of the head lightly. "This is why you haven't had a boyfriend in, what? A year? More? You're too damn picky."

Louis sticks his tongue out at his friend. "I don't know. There's just something about _meeting_ someone at a bar that feels so sleazy, you know?"

"'Fraid I agree with Tommo here. Dancing with someone or whatever, yeah, but looking for a relationship in a bar is a bit..."

"Dodgy?" Louis offers.

Liam agrees, "Yeah."

"Well, _I_ don't see the harm in you dancing with him then."

"I suppose."

Liam claps him on the back. "Go on, then. Show 'im what you've got."

Louis walks away shaking his head, and calls back, "Li, you've got to stop pretending you know how to be cool. It's just not working out for you, mate." Liam flips him off and turns back to Zayn.

Once Louis's out of earshot, he says, "So about the party."

"Yeah? Anything I can do to help out?"

Liam nods. "I can take care of getting drinks and food and the like, and I've told Louis to put together his own damn playlist since he hates whatever music I put on anyway. But could you help me work on a guest list?"

"Sure thing. How many people were you thinking?"

"Not a ton. I mean, we don't have the space for it. Maybe fifteen or so?"

Zayns hums. "Well, okay, so we can invite Ed. Danielle, of course. Maybe El?"

"Invite that friend of yours, too. Niall. And his roommate. It's about time we met him anyway."

"Oh yeah! Will do. Nialler's always up for a good party, especially when there's promised to be food and beer, yeah?" He laughs. "I don't know about Harry, but he seems like a nice guy."

* * * * *

"Are we busy on Friday?" No reponse. "Harry?" The curly-haired boy continues drumming a tune with his pencil on his desk, oblivious to his roommate's question. "Oi! Harry!"

"Huh?" he asks, pulling his earbuds out. "Did you say something?"

"Yes, you twat. Maybe if you listened to music at a normal volume, we wouldn't have this problem."

"Oh shut it," Harry replies. "Now what did you say?"

"I asked if we were busy on Friday night," Niall responds.

"Uh, I don't think so? Just packing for the holiday. Why?"

Niall gestures to his phone. "Zayn just invited us to a party. Apparently, it's his friend's birthday right before Christmas, so they're having a party before we all go home."

"What? Does this guy not have friends, so they're inviting us?"

Niall barks out a laugh. "I said about the same. Zayn assured me that Louis is very personable, he just doesn't have a lot of close friends. That, and he and his roommate want to meet me."

"I don't know..."

"Oh, c'mon, Harry. It'll be fun! One last party before we've got to go home and have boring holidays with our families."

Harry sighs. "Fine. Tell him we'll go."

* * * * *

"Tell me how we got roped into this again."

Niall sighs. "Zayn asked us to pick up the food and stuff for the party."

"And we, and by 'we' I mean you, agreed to this because?" Harry asks.

"Because Zayn is busy finishing a final paper and we're good people?" Harry just stares at his roommate. He waves his hand for Niall to continue. "And...I dunno, isn't that reason enough?"

"But we're not even friends with this Louis guy," Harry whines. "Why should we have to go shopping for him?"

"Because we're nice people! God, Harry when did you get to be such a lazy twit?"

"He offered to set you up with someone, didn't he?"

"There is a distinct possibility that he said that, yes." Harry punches Niall's arm. "Ouch! Bastard."

"And you called _me_ a twit."

* * * * *

"Are you sure you don't need me to do anything?" Louis asks.

Liam shakes his head. "We've got it taken care of, Lou, don't worry."

"But you're usually nagging me to do something."

Liam scoffs, "I don't _nag_ you."

"Of course you do, Li. It's alright, I don't love you any less for it," Louis teases. "I don't love you _more_ either, but..."

"Oh, shut it." Louis gives him a cheeky smile. "And I have asked you to do something, or have you forgotten? You're putting the music together."

"I didn't forget! You just haven't been nagging about it. Or anything for that matter. Are you sure- ?"

"Yes, Lou! It's your birthday. Just let Zayn and me take care of everything."

"Alright. Well, do you need phone numbers for people or anything? I could call Stan or-"

Liam covers Louis's mouth with his hand. "Tommo. Seriously. We've got it all under control. I've already called Stan; he said he'll be here with bells on. Everyone's been invited. Zayn will be here in a few with all the food and beer. It’s all good. You just get all your shitty music together and prepare to enjoy yourself, yeah?"

"It's not shitty mu-" Their doorbell buzzes. 

"Ah, that'll be Zayn." He goes to let their friend in.

"Hello boys," he greets.

Liam scrunches his brows. "I thought you were bringing the food today?"

"So did I, until I remembered I needed to finish my Philosophy paper. Before you freak out, I put Niall and Harry on the job."

"So, everything seems to be coming along, then," Louis comments. "Wait, Niall?"

"Uh, yeah," Liam starts. "I meant it to be a surprise. Since we've never met him or Harry, I figured this would be the perfect time."

Louis smiles. "That sounds lovely. Thank you. Who's Harry, though?"

"Oh, that's Niall's roommate. I've only met him a few times, but he seems nice."

Liam adds, "And 'cute as a button,' apparently. Zayn's words, not mine," he laughs.

"Ah, well, _now_ you’re talking!"

"You're such a shallow brat."

"At least I'm cute," he says with a cheeky smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating is just for language.
> 
> This is a work of fiction and I do not own nor am I associated with One Direction or their affiliates.

On Friday morning, Louis wakes to a commotion in his kitchen.

"We can't just let him sleep all day!" Liam insists.

"Come on," Zayn urges. "It's nearly his birthday! Plus, he's going to be up all night anyway. Might as well let him get some rest."

Louis meanders in grumbling, "Well, he's not going to get any rest with you two bickering at the top of your lungs." He grabs some bread and pops it into the toaster. "I swear, you two argue more than a married couple."

"That's because we _are_ an old married couple," Liam jokes. "All the bickering, none of the sex."

"And we've even got ourselves a grumpy teenage son," Zayn adds, smiling fondly at Louis.

"I'm not a teenager, you dolt."

"Aha! He's finally admitted it!" Liam cheers, laughing along with Zayn.

Lou just shakes his head at them both as he retrieves his toast. "So, when is everyone coming over tonight? Actually, what time is it anyway?"

Liam checks his watch. "It's nearly 2 and everyone should be here around 8."

"Nearly 2?" Louis gasps. "You let me sleep until nearly two in the afternoon!"

Liam shoots Zayn a look that clearly says, _I told you so._ "Yeah, well, _some_ people seemed to think you would enjoy sleeping in on the day of your party."

"He sleeps in every day, why was today supposed to be different!" Zayn complains. 

"Because today he's got people to impress. And it takes _hours_ for him to sculpt that 'just rolled out of bed' style he goes for."

"Oi, shut it," Louis interrupts. "You love my hair."

"No, I love you, you twat. Your hair just comes with you," he says, giving his friend's fringe a tousle.

"Hands off the goods!" Louis says, swatting Liam's hand. "Now, let me go shower, so I can spend 'hours,'" he mocks, "on my hair." He walks toward the doorway and turns around to stick his tongue out for good measure before shoving the last of his toast in his mouth.

* * * * *

"Why aren't you getting ready?" Niall asks, gesturing to his roommate who is still laying in his bed.

Harry pulls one of his ear buds out. "What did you say?"

"I asked why you weren't getting ready yet." Harry shrugs. "Are you planning on showering then? Maybe changing your clothes? I'm almost certain you wore those pants yesterday."

"How the hell do you know what pants I was wearing yesterday? That's just fucking creepy, mate."

Niall throws his pillow at his roommate. "It's not creepy! I live with you and 90% of the time you're naked or in your underpants. So if anything it's _your_ fault."

Harry just rolls his eyes mumbling, " _Whatever_."

Niall walks over to Harry's dresser and grabs a clean pair of pants, black jeans, and a white t-shirt. He throws the clothes at Harry, who is still sitting on his bed. "Here! Now shower and change so _maybe_ we can get there on time?"

"Isn't it proper to arrive fashionably late to these things?" Harry muses, walking toward to the door so he can their hallway's bathroom.

"Not when you're bringing the beer."

* * * * *

Liam checks his watch for what must be the thousandth time when Louis finally says, "Would you relax! Shouldn't _I_ be the anxious one if people don't show up to my party?"

"No, it's not that. People aren't supposed to be here for another half hour at least." Louis raises his eyebrows and waves his hand for him to continue.

Zayn laughs from beside Louis on the couch. "He's waiting on my mate Niall. He and Harry are bringing all the beer, so Liam's worried they're going to be late."

"Well, they said they'd be here at 8!" Liam insists. "It's already half-past and we invited everyone for 9, and if people get here and there are _no drinks_ , they'll-" He's cut off by the buzzer. "Oh, thank God."

Liam rushes over to buzz them up. Zayn says, "See, Li? They were probably just running late."

A moment later, there's a rap at the door and Liam opens it wide to reveal a blonde-haired boy with his hair stylishly quiffed, wearing a light washed pair of jeans and a crisp blue polo which brings out the color in his eyes.

"Come on in," says Liam. "You must be Niall."

A thick Irish brogue replies, "I am. Sorry we're late. This one," he nods to the boy still hidden behind him, "took forever to get ready."

"Doesn't look like we're late," the boy who must have been Harry remarks in a low, gravelly voice. Louis has to bite on his lip to keep from gasping at the boy's appearance. 

Harry is taller than Niall by a few inches and atop his head is a mess of brown curls. He shakes the snow out of it as he follows Liam and Niall inside. He glances around the flat, taking everything in, and Louis has to hold in a another gasp. He drinks in the rest of the boy's appearance: his pale green eyes, his long muscled legs accentuated by his skinny jeans, his lean torso barely concealed beneath his t-shirt that is revealed as the boy removed his coat.

Niall whacks his roommate in the stomach and Louis can't help but flinching for the boy. Zayn and Louis stand as Liam brings the boys' coats into his bedroom. "So, Lou, this is Niall," Zayn introduces the blonde boy. They shake hands as Zayn continues, "And this is his roommate, Harry."

Harry smiles as he shakes the older boy's hand. "Happy birthday. It's nice to finally meet Zayn's mates."

"Likewise," Louis replies, still gripping Harry's hand.

"And the nutjob who took your coats was Liam," Zayn begins again, causing Louis to drop Harry's hand suddenly and leaving a faint blush on each boy's cheeks. 

Liam walks back in at the sound of his name. "Oi! Who are you calling nutjob?" he complains.

"Certainly not you," Zayn says as the boys around him laugh. "Now let's get everything set up before everyone shows up, so you don't have a heart attack."

"What shall I do then?" Louis offers. 

Liam shakes his head. "Nothing. It's your party, Tommo. Niall, can you help Zayn and me with the rest of the stuff in your car? Did you park where Zayn told you?"

"Sure did. It's just outside; we shouldn't need coats."

Liam claps once. "Lovely. Harry, you can stay here and make yourself at home since Lou is a shitty host."

"Hey!" Louis protests as the boys leave the flat. He sighs, turning. "I'm _not_ a terrible host." He pauses, looking the boy up and down again. He swallows before asking, "Would you like to sit down?" Lou gestures to the couch.

"Yeah, sure." Harry perches himself at the edge of one side of the couch as Louis flops down on the other.

He tosses one of the small throw pillows at the younger boy. "C'mon, now. Make yourself comfortable. I don't bite." Harry laughs softly. "Unless you're into that sort of thing, of course." Harry looks over shocked and Louis winks at him.

"In that case," Harry starts. He turns himself so he's facing Louis, picks up his legs and drops them in Lou's lap. "How's this?" Louis places his hands on Harry's legs, but before he can respond, the boys barge in the door.

"We're back!" Liam announces. "I see you two have gotten cozy." He stares at Louis, who simply shrugs, flicks his eyes to Harry who is obliviously staring at the other boy, and back to Louis who is now grinning back at the boy in his lap. He shrugs and follows Zayn and Niall to the kitchen.

Louis giggles and buries his face in the couch. "Sorry for Liam. He's just assuming since I'm gay and you're," he gestures to Harry's legs.

"You're gay?"

Louis clears his throat. "Uh, yeah, is that a probl- ?"

"Oh God, no! No, no, no!" Harry cuts him off. "Sorry. I thought I was just wishfully reading into things."

"Wishful...? Are you gay, too?" Louis covers his mouth quickly. "Sorry, I've got this awful habit of speaking before I think. I barely know you, you don't have to explain yourself to me."

"Are you through?" he asks. Louis nods. "You're cute when you're flustered," he adds, earning him a chuckle from the older boy. "But gay? Eh, I dunno. I mean I like _boys_ ," he pointed looks at Louis, "but mostly I just like people. And sex." He laughs at himself, and Louis can't help but join him. "Sorry, that makes me sound like a bit of a slut. I'm not, really. I'm just open about sex and stuff."

"Open, yeah? Do tell me more."

* * * * *

"How long until they're sucking each other's faces off, d'ya reckon?" Niall asks the other boys, who are all now snooping on Louis and Harry from the kitchen.

Liam covers his mouth to muffle a laugh. "Sooner rather than later, I hope, or Tommo's going to pitch a fit tomorrow. He's smitten."

"I think Harry'll make a move once he's got a few in 'im. Flirty drunk, that boy. Actually, he's just a flirty boy, come to think of it. Drunk, he's damn near unstoppable."

"I hope for his sake that's true," Zayn adds. "Because I'm gonna make them kiss whether they like it or not before the end of the night. Agreed?"

"Agreed."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating is just for language.
> 
> This is a work of fiction and I do not own nor am I associated with One Direction or their affiliates.

"STAN!" Louis calls. Stan continues chatting up Louis's friend Eleanor, oblivious to his friend. "Oi, you twat! Stanley!"

Stan casts an apologetic look at El before turning around to Louis. "What do you want, you bastard?"

"A beer," he giggles from his place on the couch where his feet at in Harry's lap, mirroring his earlier position. "Please."

"Get your own fucking beer," he says, beginning to turn back toward Eleanor. Harry starts giggling now and Louis places his hand over his mouth.

"Come on, Stanley. Please do me this favor? It's not even for me, it's for Harry here."

"Then why don't you get it yourself? Isn't that how you plan on charming your way into this nice boy's trousers?" he spits out. And the to Harry he adds, "No offense, mate."

"None taken."

Louis ignores them both. "I bet Harry I could get him another beer without stepping one foot on the floor. Come on, Stan, help me out." He take a pensive pause. He whispers, "Or I'll tell El all about the time you shit your pants while we were camping."

"Fuckin' A, Lou. What did you wager, anyway?" Stan is stalling because he's a lazy son of a bitch, but Louis's fairly certain he'll do him the favor, so he tells him.

"Well, if I win, Harry's got to carry me around the room as we dance to the next song. And if he wins... Wait, what do you get if you win?"

"A beer?" The boys burst into laughter again and Stan just shakes his head at them. Harry darts his hands out to tickle Lou's sides and keep his bubbly laughter going. Stan assumes that's his cue to go grab the beer, so he absconds while the boys duke it out.

Stan quickly walks to the fridge and grabs a Corona from the door. He makes his way back to the couch where the boys have shifted so their legs are tangled with one another and Louis is looking at Harry with a gaze so hot it looks like he might actually set him on fire. "Beer's here!" he interrupts before he actually has to _interrupt_ something.

"Thank you, Stan," says Harry as he pops open the beer with the bottle opener left on the end table.

Stan clears his throat. "No problem. Do you think I could, uh, have the couch now?" He nods to Eleanor who was now chatting with Danielle and Liam. 

Louis understands and he's grateful, so he nods and begins untangling his legs. Plus, he's got a bet to settle. "Come on, Harry." He grabs his hand. "I believe you owe me a dance."

"That I do." Louis pulls him up by his hand. Once he's standing, Louis squeals.

"I love this song!" [Power & Control](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Rp_0hoNTY) by Marina and the Diamonds has started playing.

Harry nods. "Me too. I love Marina."

" _Power and control, I'm gonna make you fall_ ," Louis sings into Harry's ear.

He laughs. "I certainly hope not. Come on now." Louis nods and wraps his arms around Harry's neck. Harry grips his hands on the back on Louis's thighs, right beneath his bum, and hoists him so he's sitting on his hips. Louis pulls back and smiles. Harry returns it, walks them out onto the makeshift dance floor.

They stumble a bit at first due to Harry's slight drunkenness, but he quickly recovers thanks to the extra space in the living room. Most of the guests have already left, so the boys are free to sway around the room to the song.

The boys sing softly, harmonizing with one another:

_Think you're funny, think you're smart,_  
 _Think you're gonna break my heart._  
 _Think you're funny, think you're smart,_  
 _Yeah, you may be good looking,_  
 _But you're not a piece of art._

Harry adjusts the boy he's holding from where he's slid down, pulling him closer and crooning in his ear, " _Women and men we are the same, but love will always be a game. We give and take a little more, eternal game of tug and war._ " Louis takes the next part of the song, moaning like a porn star, making Harry swallow hard as he watches him.

As the song comes to an end, Harry walks them into the wall, pressing Louis between it and his chest. He stares at Louis, eyes flicking from Louis's own to his mouth and back. He's holding his breath, waiting for Louis to move, but Louis is just as frozen in the moment.

Harry breaks eye contact and lets Louis slide back down to the floor. "Good dance, yeah?" he asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Very. I'm not done with you, though." He looks up at Harry from under his lashes, smiling sweetly. A [new song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q1edJoPs-0) had already started playing, so Louis pulls Harry to him and sways them to the new beat.

He keeps one hand twined with Harry's and lets the other travel up to his bicep. Harry's other large hand is splayed across Louis's lower back, holding their hips close.

Louis lets go of Harry's hand to wind his arms around his neck, ghosting breath over his pulse, whispering, "Glad you lost your bet?" Harry nods against Louis. "I'm glad."

Stan approaches the boys, tapping Lou on the shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but we're headed out."

"We?" Stan points to Eleanor and Danielle.

"Yeah, I'm bringing the girls back to campus before I go home."

Louis glances between Stan and El, seeing the way she is still eyeing his friend. "Sure you're going home?" Stan whacks Louis in the head and turns to leave, waving goodbye.

"Pleasure to meet you, Harry. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you. Just not as much as Lou's gonna see!" he calls before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.

"Dick," Louis mutters. He takes the moment to take a look around the room. Apparently, Ed had left at some point while he was dancing with Harry. Niall, Zayn, and Liam were piled on the couch, leaning into one another, giggling, and talking in hushed voices. "Guess everyone else left," he notes to Harry.

He nods, taking in the image of their friends on the couch as well. He glances over towards the kitchen and his eyes widen a fraction in recognition. "What?" Louis asks, trying to read the look on his face.

"We should go get me another beer, since the last one you got me is probably warm. Or in Niall's stomach." Louis laughs and starts walking toward the doorway to the kitchen, oblivious to Harry's intentions. As he reaches the entrance to the kitchen, Harry says, "Wait."

Louis stops, raising his brows. "Wait for what?" Harry looks up at the mistletoe hanging above them. "Now, when did Liam do that?" He lets out a breathy laugh and looks back down at Harry, who is staring back at him. He smiles at the younger boy and swipes his thumb over his wrist where he's still holding it. "Well?"

"Well what?"

Louis rolls his eyes. "Are you gonna kiss me or what?"

"Maybe, I was waiting for _you_ to kiss _me_." The boys laugh together this time and lean into one another. Louis threads his fingers through Harry's curls to pull him down to meet his mouth while Harry cups Louis's cheek.

The kiss is short and sweet and interrupted by the cat-calling and wolf-whistling of the other boys. They pull back and smile at one another before placing one more chaste kiss on each other's lips.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ow ow!" calls Liam.

"It's about damn time!" Zayn adds. Niall just hoots and whistles along with the other two. Louis just rolls his eyes and pulls Harry into the kitchen, far enough so they're out of the boys' line of sight.

Louis opens his fridge and bends down to pull out two beers. He passes one to Harry. "Here you are, sir." He smiles. Harry returns it with his own cheeky grin as he takes the bottle. Louis turns to the leave the kitchen, but Harry catches his wrist. "What's up?" Louis asks.

Harry puts his bottle back on the counter and pulls Louis closer to him, twining their hands together. "I just- I wanted to kiss you all night. I just didn't know how, so I... Well," he gestures toward the mistletoe hanging in the doorway.

"Ah, you quirky, clever little boy."

"Hey! Who're you calling little?" Harry pouts.

Louis laughs, stepping in closer. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure you're _huge_ ," he says with a wink. "And it's not that hard to kiss someone, really." Harry opens his mouth to respond, but Louis stops him with his free hand. " _Especially_ when that person wants to be kissing you just as much as you want to be kissing them."

"Omf yehh?" Harry mumbles from beneath Louis's hand.

Louis nods slowly and moves his hand from Harry's mouth to his curls. "Yeah. It goes something like this." He pulls Harry mouth down as he presses onto the balls of his feet, leaning into the kiss. Encouraged by their pseudo-privacy, Harry moans a little as Louis suckles his bottom lip.

He returns the favor by slipping his tongue out to lick along the seam of Louis's lips. He parts them willingly and Harry slides his tongue into Louis's mouth as Louis does the same. As quickly as it began, they slow down the kiss, pressing their lips together once, twice, three times more before pulling apart.

They smile and one another and Louis pecks Harry on the cheek, tugging on their joined hands to bring them inside. Harry pulls back, stopping him again. "Wait a second."

"What now, Hazza?" Louis asks, confused.

"So," he starts, threading his fingers through Louis's stringy locks. "Like this?" Harry asks cheekily before bringing their lips together once more. He sucks each of Lou's lips between his teeth before pulling off, smiling so wide his dimples seem unnaturally deep.

Louis breathes, "Yeah, just like that." Harry drops a kiss on the top of his head and leads them inside.

The boys on the couch begin applauding again, and Harry sticks his tongue out at them. "I know where that's been!" Niall jokes.

Harry unceremoniously plops onto the single armchair next to the couch and pulls Louis into his lap after him. He lets go of his hand to get more comfortable, settling his arms around Louis's waist. The older boy lays his own hands on top of Harry's, as the the younger boy tucks his chin over Louis's shoulder.

"You two are nauseating," Zayn remarks.

"This coming from the guy who cried, 'Finally!' when we kissed under the mistletoe." Zayn huffs out a sigh and Harry laughs, his chest rumbling behind Louis. He presses a kiss to his shoulder.

"You two are so cute," observes Niall. "It's a shame you didn't meet sooner."

"And who's fault is that?" Louis asks no one in particular, as he's looking at Harry.

Zayn offers, "I've been telling Niall to come hang out with us for ages."

"At least we're all here now," says Liam, playing mediator as always.

"Very true, that," agrees Lou. He turns his head and meets Harry's lips briefly. Louis catches Zayn smiling from the corner of his eye. "Why don't we turn on a movie so we can all sober up for a while before you two have to drive home?"

"I'm in," says Harry.

"You wish," Zayn teases. Louis looks for something to throw at his friend, and settles with a sock he finds on the floor. "Okay, quit it. I was joking! I'll go get a movie." Zayn gets off the couch, throwing the sock to the floor once again, and walks over the cabinet by the TV where Liam and Louis store all their DVDs.

Louis sits down again, this time squishing in next to Harry. He grabs Harry's and twines their hands together like they've been doing it forever and rests his head on Harry's shoulder. "I like having you here," Harry whispers into Louis's hair before dropping a kiss there.

Louis looks up. "I like being here." He smiles, his blue eyes crinkling at he edges. Zayn puts in Lady and the Tramp and returns to the couch.

"I love this movie! I haven't seen it in, what? Twelve years? I love Disney movies." Louis laughs quietly and snuggles into Harry's chest. The opening credits begin playing and Louis quickly dozes off, despite his valiant efforts to hold his eyes open.

* * * * *

The sound of the end credits rolling pull Louis out of his stupor and he groans, "I feel asleep?"

"You've been snoring for an hour, Tommo."

"I haven't! Have I?" he asks Harry.

Harry kisses his cheek. "Cute, snuffly snores only, I swear." Louis groans again, burying his face back in Harry's chest.

"And here we thought we'd have to deal with you and Harry sucking each other's faces off through the whole movie," Zayn says, "but instead, we had to deal with Lou's snores shaking the room."

"Don't listen to him. He's just mad because I got to you first." Harry winks.

Niall yawns, stretching his arms straight up until his joints pop. "Haz, we should probably go. I'm exhausted and we still need to pack in the morning."

"Yeah, you're right." He looks sadly over at Lou as he stand up.

"Hey now, don't give me that look. We'll be back in a couple of weeks, and I'll see you then, yeah?" He reaches into Harry's front pocket and pulls out his phone. "Here, let me..." He tries to unlock the phone twice before he hands it to Harry. "Okay, unlock it first."

Harry laughs and punches in the four numbers quickly before handing it back to Louis. The older boy opens the camera and takes a MySpace-esque picture of himself, duck lips and all. He puts in his name and number with the picture. "There you go. Now, you won't even be able to miss me."

Harry smiles. "Good." He presses a kiss to his lips. Then, the turns to Liam and Zayn, shaking each of their hands. "It was really great to finally meet you both. I swear, Niall never shuts up about wanting to meet you, Liam." He winks.

"Oh shut it, Harry." Niall walks over to Louis and pulls him in for a hug. "It was good to meet you, Lou," he says, and adds more quietly, "Be good to my boy, okay?"

Louis nods. "I will. And I'm really glad I met you both as well." The rest of the boys continue exchanging goodbyes and Louis turns back to Harry. "Use that number, alright? I had a really great time tonight."

"Will do. Don't worry, you'll be hearing from me, Lou." The boys kiss again, slowly and sweetly, their lips melding together. Louis slides his tongue into Harry's mouth, licking slowly as he cups his cheek. Harry sucks Louis's tongue into his mouth quickly before slowing down the kiss. He nips Lou's bottom lip and kisses him a few more a times before whispering, "Can't give them too much of a show," and throwing him a wink.

"Too true," Louis agrees. "I guess I'll talk to you soon, then?"

"You will. Goodnight, Louis. Goodnight, boys," he says to Liam and Zayn.

"Good to meet you both. I'll see you soon, I'm sure," says Liam.

Zayn waves. "Goodnight, boys!" Once the door closes behind Harry and Niall, he adds, "Alright, let's clean up this shit, so I can pass out on your couch."

* * * * *

After twenty minutes of frantic cleaning, Louis walks into his room and pulls his shirt over his head. He drops his trousers as well and puts the clothes into the hamper Liam's been forcing him to use.

He thinks about brushing his teeth, but the walk to the bathroom seems tremendously far, so he decides he'll deal with that in the morning and instead flops onto his mattress. He pulls the still cold sheets around himself, and rolls over to check his phone, which he'd left in his room for the party.

He sees seven new texts from an unknown number and smiles.

> _Hey Lou_
> 
> _It's Harry, btw_
> 
> _Here's a pic of me for your phone, since you were so kind to give me one ;)_  
> 

Attached to that one is an extreme close-up of Harry's face. He's smiling a cheek-splitting grin, his dimple prominent and his green eyes squinting. A few of his curls are falling into his face, but the photo only frames the main portion of his face. Louis smiles and saves the photo to his phone, along with the number before finishing the text messages.

>   
> _My last name's Styles, by the way, for your phone_
> 
> _Sorry for sending so many texts, you're probably cleaning up and not checking them anyway_
> 
> _Shit, unless you're sleeping already in which case, I'm the world's biggest prat for sending you this many texts!_
> 
> _(Sorry last one, I swear) good night, Lou. I'm really glad I met you :) sweet dreams!_  
> 

Louis smiles, burying his face in his pillow before replying:

> _I wasn't sleeping, I had to sing Zayn his lullaby ;) I'm glad we could meet, too. Good night, Harry Styles. Sweet dreams! :D_

Louis hopes he isn't taking it too fast with the cutesy texts, but less than a minute later, his phone beeps again.

> _Yeah_ , Louis thinks. _They're going to be just fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! This is the end. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :) I'm tempted to write a sequel in this 'verse, but I haven't decided yet. Thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't essential, but I had to work it out for myself, so it made sense it my head. It's probably better to just roll with it, but anyway. (Honestly, I'm not even sure how Uni grades work in the UK, but like I said, I needed to sort it out in my head.)
> 
> Liam and Lou still have their age difference, but Liam's skipped a grade, so they're in the same year (juniors). Zayn is a little older than Liam, but he's a sophomore. Niall is a sophomore as well, but he transferred in. Harry is a freshman.


End file.
